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Saturday, May 28, 2011

SUMMER READING

The Peachtown Summer Reading List

Compiled by

Bird Cramer’s Upper Level Students

Note from Bird…..

When I asked my classroom to create a reading list for other students their age, I was greatly surprised and wonderfully pleased with their choices.Their selections were the same books that had passed from hand to hand throughout the year.Our early morning conversations focused on, “How far are you now?” or “Have you read the part where…..?.I recommended a book to one student, only to find that it had made its way throughout the class within three weeks.Some students even arrived with copies from local libraries.The books they chose range from graphic novels and realistic fiction to steampunk and science fiction.Even better, is the fact that most of them are novels that are part of a series or by authors that have written many excellent books.

The following is the Peachtown Elementary School Student Reading List, brought to you by an eclectic group of fourth through eighth graders, with a variety of reading levels.I included an age range for the novels and made notes when I felt the themes in the novels were be better suited for older students.Over the years, one of the activities we have enjoyed as a class is reading a book together and then watching a film version to make comparisons.It fosters great discussions when the students talk about how they envisioned the book, compared to how it showed up on screen.While most of the books the kids chose do not fit into that category, I highly recommend this as a great family activity to keep your children reading over the summer.Read and watch it as a family.Want to see Thor for the first time (or again), grab The D’Aulaires Book of Norse Myths and check out the legends before you see them on the screen!As for the Boy Who Lived (Harry Potter), many of my younger students read the series for the first time this year, loving the elements that were left out of the movies and are eagerly anticipating the finale in July.At the end, I included a few novels for older readers and a few favorites that the students missed.Enjoy!

Fourth-Sixth Grade Selections

The City of Ember Series, by Jeanne DuPrau:The City of Ember, The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, and The Diamond of Darkhold

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznik (movie expected around Christmas)

The Mysterious Benedict Society Series, by Trenton Lee Stewart, currently three books and counting

The Septimus Heap Series, by Angie Sage, titles in chronological order: Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren, and Darke, due out on June 7th.

The Percy Jackson Series

The Diary of a Wimpy Kids Series

The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar and Six Other Tales, by Roald Dahl, (followed by, “Any book by Roald Dahl for any age!”).

Leon and the Spitting Image, by Allen Kurzweil and its sequel, Leon and the Champion Chip

The Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell

Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Desperaux, by Kate DiCamillo

The Peter and the Starcatchers Series, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, now in its fifth book

Coraline and The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

The Harry Potter Series, for independent reading purposes, I would recommend sixth grade and up after the first three books

The Gregor the OverlanderSeries, by Suzanne Collins, a fantastic fantasy series written by the author of The Hunger Games.This was her first series of books, and they are very popular with the fifth and sixth graders.

The Books of Bayern: Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born by Shannon Hale (ANYTHING by her!)

JeremyFink and the Meaning of Life, by Wendy Mass

The Penderwicks Series, by Jeanne Birdsall

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly

Sixth Grade and Up Selections

This list covers a wide variety of topics and social issues, so please use your discretion.These books will work through middle school and up, depending on your child’s interests

Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City and Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb, by Kirsten Miller

The Amulet Series, by Kazu Kibuishi

Foiled, by Jane Yolen

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne

The Willoughbys, by Lois Lowry – really, a fun read for just about all the ages!

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott and the other four books in the series, so far

The Hunger Games Trilogy, by Suzanne Collins

Son of the Mob and No More Dead Dogs, by Gordon Korman

Life as We Knew It Trilogy: Life As We Knew It, The Dead and Gone, This World We Live In, by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Graceling and Fire, by Kristin Cashore

Monster, by Walter Dean Meyers

The Maze Runner Trilogy: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure (out in October), by James Dashner